This invention relates generally to radiation protection systems and, more particularly, to radiation shielding systems with integrated procedural environments for use in the course of diagnostic or therapeutic procedures as well as methods for the use of such systems.
X-rays are used in a wide variety of medical procedures, many of which require medical personnel to be in direct contact with the patient, thereby exposing such personnel to radiation.
As presently configured, x-ray laboratories produce x-ray exposure to the patient and to the operator and associated technicians. Since patients undergo a limited number of exposures, cumulative radiation exposure to the individual patient is rarely a significant health concern. However, operators and health care personnel performing numerous procedures per year over many years may be exposed to significant cumulative radiation doses over time, which may have adverse effects. See David A. Clark, Editorial Comment, 51 Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions 265 (2000); Stephen Balter, An Overview of Radiation Safety Regulatory Recommendations and Requirements,47 Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions 469 (1999).
For this reason, both fixed and mobile lead shields are employed in fluoroscopic procedures to minimize radiation exposure. Such shields typically are constructed of radiation resistant plates suspended on bars that are adjusted to be interposed between the operators and the patient on the x-ray table. Despite the use of these shields, medical personnel are still exposed to radiation. It is therefore imperative that personnel wear leaded protective clothing (including full lead aprons, thyroid collars and leaded glasses). In addition, the doctors or other operators perform these radiologic procedures many hours per day and several days per week over many years throughout their medical careers. This long term, cumulative exposure may cause adverse effects. Furthermore, the wearing of heavy lead aprons may have long term deleterious effects resulting in disabling disorders of the spine in a significant number of operators. See Allan Mr. Rose, et al., Prevalence of Spinal Disc Disease Among Interventional Cardiologists, 79 American Journal of Cardiology 68 (1997).
There are patents teaching systems for protecting and shielding against radiation in x-ray laboratories. The patents describe various shields made of radiation resistant material that are either mobile or attached to the x-ray table and can be adjusted between the operators and the x-ray source. Though there are numerous shapes and designs for these shields, and although they may be constructed of various materials, they do not sufficiently protect against radiation exposure, and medical personnel must still wear heavy and encumbering leaded protective clothing. Furthermore, such leaded protective aprons, collars and glasses do not fully protect the operator as they leave substantial portions of legs, arm and head exposed.
Despite dramatic technological evolution of the imaging systems employed for diagnostic and therapeutic radiological procedures, the fundamental architecture of the radiological x-ray laboratory and its ancillary components have not changed appreciably over the last 50 years. For example, in the present configuration of a typical cardiac catheterization laboratory, there is a fixed floor or ceiling mounted radiological C-arm along with the ancillary electrical and computer equipment necessary to run the x-ray system. However, in order to perform diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, such a laboratory requires multiple other capital equipment items, as well as disposables. These items may include a fluoroscopy table, manual controls for the table, fluoroscopy monitors positioned some distance away from the procedure site and out of the operator""s preferred line of site, physiological sensors and instruments for monitoring the patient, at least one staging area often located behind the surgeon or at the patient""s groin area, and various other surgical tools and medical disposables. In the present configurations, neither these items nor the laboratory itself are optimized for procedural efficiency or radiation protection of the medical personnel within the laboratory.
When working with a patient on an x-ray table, doctors and other medical personnel can be exposed to primary radiation that emanates directly from the source or can be exposed to secondary radiation that is reflected or scattered by an object such as the x-ray detector, the x-ray table, and even the patient. No prior invention has sufficiently reduced the primary and secondary radiation exposure of operators in an x-ray laboratory and addressed its inefficiencies of such a lab by using a radiation protection system comprising a shielding cubicle, screen, flexible interface and integrated operations environment.
It is in view of the above that the present invention was developed. A preferred embodiment of the invention is a radiation protection system for shielding medical personnel from x-rays from an x-ray emitter while working on a patient, comprising an x-ray table having a first side, a second side and a top surface, the top surface for supporting a patient; a radiation-shielding cubicle having an interior defining a medical personnel region, the cubicle having a ceiling, floor, a first wall for separating the medical personnel from an x-ray emitter disposed outside of the cubicle, a second wall extending from one end of said first wall adjacent to a first side of the x-ray table and a third wall extending from the first wall adjacent to a second side of the x-ray table, the first wall having an opening for locating a portion of the x-ray table into the interior of the cubicle; a radiation-shielding screen attached to the x-ray table for covering the portions of the patient and the top surface of the x-ray table located in the interior of the cubicle; a radiation-shielding flexible interface for joining the x-ray table to the cubicle, the flexible interface having a flexible radiation-resistant skirt sealing the opening; and an integrated procedural environment.
Among the objects and features of the invention is reducing the radiation exposure of staff in an x-ray laboratory.
A second object of the invention is substantially reducing exposure to primary radiation around an x-ray table and thereby permitting doctors to perform fluoroscopic based medical and surgical procedures with access to a patient without being exposed to excessive amounts of radiation.
A third object of the invention is reducing exposure to secondary radiation in the region around an x-ray table where medical professionals operate on a patient.
A fourth object of the invention is to minimize radiation leaking into a cubicle while the x-ray table moves relative to the cubicle.
Another object of the present invention is to improve the architecture, configuration and design of the equipment items in an x-ray procedure laboratory as well as the efficiency and flow of such laboratories.
Further features and advantages of the present invention, as well as the structure and operation of various embodiments of the present invention, are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.